1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and in particular, to a portable terminal with a camera lens assembly.
2. Discussion of the Background
Typically, a portable terminal is an appliance for providing user-to-user or user-to-service provider wireless communication through a base station for mobile communication. The base station offers a sound communication service, a short messaging service, a mobile banking service, and various other service content, such as TV programs, on-line games, and Videos On Demand (VOD), to users through portable terminals.
Classes of portable terminals include bar-type terminals, which incorporate a communication circuit and input and output devices such as a transmitter unit and a receiver unit in a single housing, flip-type terminals, which have flip covers connected to bar-type terminals, and folder-type terminals, in which a pair of housings are rotatable so as to open or close the terminal and input and output devices distributed on the housings. Recently, sliding-type terminals have also appeared. Efforts are being concentrated on improving the portability and convenience of portable terminals, as well as on meeting the demands of various users' tastes for such portable terminals.
In addition, mobile communication services, including banking services, VOD, and digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), which are offered to portable terminals through on-line technology, have been diversified. Diversification of mobile communication services has been realized due to the generalized use of portable terminals and the commercialization of services, which supply various content through portable terminals.
Further, as information communication technologies have become integrated, the functions of portable terminals as communication appliances and also as composite appliances, which can be used as photographing machines or a storage mediums, have been strengthened. Among these composite functions, a photographing function, which can be implemented by mounting a camera lens assembly in a portable terminal, has been identified as an essential function for a portable terminal.
A camera lens assembly may be classified as fixed-type or rotary-type. A fixed-type camera lens assembly is mounted on a side of a terminal housing, thereby preventing the camera lens assembly from being damaged by an external impact. However, a fixed type camera lens is inconvenient because the orientation of the terminal may require adjustment each time a photograph is taken in order for the camera lens to be directed toward the object being photographed. A rotary-type camera lens assembly is mounted on a terminal housing such that it rotatable. Therefore, a rotary-type camera lens assembly is advantageous because it is possible to take photographs in various directions by rotating the lens housing without adjusting the orientation of the terminal. However, a rotary-type camera lens assembly may lack stability at the time of photographing, as compared to a fixed-type camera lens assembly, because it is vulnerable to movement of the lens housing. In addition, although the rotary-type camera lens assembly is advantageous because it is possible to take photographs in various directions, it may be difficult for a user to recognize the photographing direction of the lens housing.